Trunk appliance



H. S. CARSON.

TRUNK APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I, 1919.

1,361,748, Patented Dec. 7, 192 0.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

' WITNESSES INVENTOR F /WW /6 #[Zgffi/W H. S. CARSON.

TRUNK APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED MAYI, 1919.

1,361,748 Patented Dec. 7, 1920. I

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- WI TNESSES H. S. CARSON.

TRUNK APPLIANCE.

Patented Dec. 7,1920.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1, 19l9.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- quuuunumumumuuul WITNESSES INVENTOR zwmw #:mv scmso v m ,4 TIOR/VE Y8 UNITED STATES HELEN S. CARSON, 0F STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT.

TRUNK APPLIANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. '7, 1920.

Application filed ma 1, 1919. Serial No. 294,0o.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HELEN S. CARsoN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Stamford, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Trunk Appliance, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to provide a support which may be utilized as an ironing board, a conventional table, or an invalids table; and this invention is more particularly adapted for use by people who travel.

It is well known that the furniture in buildings accommodating a transient population is scarred by unscrupulous people using a hot iron upon the surfaces of the same in connection with the ironing of clothing. Further, from the viewpoint of the traveling person, it is very advantageous to have at hand an ironing board, an invalids table, or a small table, if the same does not take up a large amount of room, as it is often quite impossible to secure an article of this-nature in a hotel, or similar building.

Having these difficulties in mind, I have invented an appliance more particularly applicable to trunks, Which, however, might form part of a closet, or similar receiving department, and which would supply the traveling public with an ironing board, and invalids table, or a low table, and which might be carried in a conventional trunk of the wardrobe type without the addition of any structure other than already exists in connection with these trunks, with the exception of a slight modification of certain parts. This invention might further be adapted to a number of uses, in addition to those above specified, at the option of the user.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings which illustrate one practical embodiment of my invention, and in which- Figure 1 is an elevational view of a ward robe trunk in open position;

Fig. 2 represents a hanger used in connection with such trunk, such hanger being modified slightly to conform with the needs of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged deta l view of a hanger, such as illustrated in Flg. 2 but'having applied thereto a clamp screw;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of a trunk in closed position, and having in connection therewith an ironing board composed of various parts associated with the trunk;

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of the rear of such trunk through one of the hinged straps, showing how the rear wall of the trunk is modified to accommodate certain essential parts of the construction;

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of a bed and an invalids table composed of certain parts of the trunk applied thereto; and

Fig. 7 is an end elevational view of a table, together with a supporting member, composed of various parts associated with the trunk.

In these various views like reference numerals designate similar parts, and referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 4, it will be seen that the reference numeral 1 designates a conventional wardrobe trunk, provided with foldable bars 2 carrying hangers 3 in the usual manner, by means of notched bars 1-. As in all wardrobe trunks, and more particularly trunks adapted for use by ladies, a movable retaining plate 5 is provided which is held in position in the usual manner by means of a crossbar 7 formed with hooks'8 adjacent its end, which engage in rings 9 for preventing any outward motion of the retaining plate 5.

Contrary to the conventional construction, in which the retaining plate 5 is usually made of cardboard of a double-ply construction, my plate is preferably formed of four or more plies, as clearly shown in Fig. 5, and provided adjacent the ends of this plate are upwardly-extending hooks 10, for a purpose hereinafter more particularly specified.

In the usual manner, the trunk 1 is provided with hinges 11 retained in applied position by means of straps 12, formed in the body of the trunk 1, and to the rear of such straps are notches or depressions 13 which are adapted to receive the ends of the flat hooks 10 and permit the same to extend over and around the flattened straps 12.

The hangers 3 include the conventional construction, but in addition to this these hangers are provided with key-hole slots 14:

and studs 15 which, when the hangers are properly assembled, project through the keyhole slots and retain one hangerin applied position with respect to the other. In addition to the keyhole slot and stud arrangement, each second hanger 3 is provided with a bolt and winged nut 16 adapted to be mounted upon the stud-carrying hanger, although this is optional, and to project through any one of the keyhole slots, whereupon such winged nut 16 may be tightened so as to insure against any accidental displacement of one hanger with respect to the other.

As will be noted, two'forms of hangers are used in connection with the trunk, one being-adapted to receive a dress and hold the same so that no creases may result, even although the trunk is firmly packed, a second being adapted to hold merely a jacket, although a pair of trousers, or similar article, could be suspended therefrom in addition to the jacket. Both of these hangers are identical, however, in'that they include "keyhole slots 14, .studs 15 and winged nuts 16, the

only difference being that these parts are provided in one of the hangers slightly below the crossbar, and in the second of such hangers they extend along a bar suspended from the crossbar, which bar terminates inthe. aforementioned appliance for retaining clothesin proper position.

In general utility it will be'appreciated that this arrangement will lend itself to any variety of uses, although I have illustrated the same only as providing an ironing board, an invalids table, and a small table, supported directly upon the floor. In operation it will be seen that no additional room will be required in the wardrobe trunk, in that all of the parts employed in connection with "the device which I construct are already in cluded in any conventional wardrobe trunk, the only difference beingthe provision of a slightly heavier retaining plate and providing such retaining plate with two pairs of hooks and forming the hangers with openings and a winged nut foreach second vided-which will form a rigid base and a most convenient form or construction to which the hooks 10 may lee-applied. In this construction it will be seen that the height of the plate 5 may be varied at will, in that the hooks 10 formed on the innermost end of the plate may be engaged in anyof thenotches 13, and the'two hangers 3 may be moved .one with respect to theother so as to vary the horizontal plane of one end of the plate 5 as desired.

Consider now the invention adapted for useas a low table, I may apply one of the smaller hangers 3 to a-large hanger, as indicated in Fig. 7, tighten the nut 16 so that a perfectly rigid floor-contacting part is formed, which will maintain the crossbar 4 in afixed'horizontal plane. The hooks 10 and the plate 5-may then be caused to extend over such bar 4:, and as the opposite end of the plate 5 is held in this manner, a fairly rigi dtable may be produced.

i inally, considering the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 6, it will be seen that the plate 5 may be-arrangedso that an invalids table will result. In this instance, the two long hangers 3 arearranged in a manner similar to the arrangement utilized in connection with the ironing-board construction illustrated in Figl, so that the plate 5 may properlyzclear the patients body. The opposite end of the plate is supported by the bed,by means of a short hanger 3 interposed between its-hooks l0 and the upper surface of the bed. It is to be understood, referring more particularly to this construction, that a 'pair'ofthe shorter hangers 3 might be combined so as to produce a slightly higher leg at this end, if it were so desired.

I wish to again emphasize the fact-that although I have illustrated only three de vices, any number of arrangements might be built out of the parts which I have modified so as to be adaptable for these constructions; Further,- such modifications as I might'desire to make may readily be resorted to without departing from the scope of this invention.

Finally, it is to be understood that openings might be provided anywhere in the outer surface of the trunk so that the same would not'necessarily have to be closed in order that the'board 5 could be properly appllied thereto.

aving now described my invention, what I desire to claim is:

1. A container, including garment supporters of various len ths'and a retaining plate for garments adapted to be hungon such supporters, and means associated with the'cohtainer forsup'portingene end of the cure the clothes supported by such hangers,

means associated with the'contai'ner for supporting one" of th'eends of such "plate, the

hangers being adapted to be so arranged'as to support the opposite end of such plate'so that the same extends in a horizohtai lan 3. A trunk ap liance including, in eo'mbi nation with a trunk having notches cut in its walls, straps adapted to pass overseer tain portion of such notches, a plate provided with hooks adapted to extend within such notches and around said straps, and means for supporting the opposite end of such plate.

4. A trunk appliance, including in combination with a trunk, conventional garment hangers arranged in such trunk, a clothesretaining plate arranged outside of such hangers and being adapted to properly retain clothes supported thereon, and means formed at one end of the plate and the trunk for cooperating with one another so as to support such end of the plate, the garment hangers being adapted to be so combined as to form a supporting leg for the opposite end of such plate.

5. A trunk appliance, including a trunk provided with hinges and straps and having grooves formed to the rear of such straps, such trunk including garment hangers and a clothes-retaining plate arranged to the outer side of such hangers for properly retaining clothes, such plate being provided with hooks secured to its outer edges, the hooks on one end of the plate being adapted to extend around the straps and into the notches, the garment hangers being adapted to be combined so as to form a rigid support between the opposite end of such plate and the floor.

G. A trunk appliance, including a trunk provided with notches in its outer face and flat straps passing over such notches, garment hangers arranged within such trunk, and a retaining plate arranged on the outside of such hangers, such plate being formed with flat hooks secured to its end, such hooks being adapted to extend around the straps and into the notches, the hangers being adapted to be so arranged as to form a support for the opposite end of such plate.

7. A trunk appliance, including a trunk provided with notches in its outer face and flat straps passing over such notches, garment hangers arranged within such trunk, and a retaining plate arranged on the outside of such hangers, flat hooks secured to its end, such hooks being adapted to extend around the straps and into the notches, the garment hangers being flat and adapted to be so arranged as to form a support for the opposite end of such plate and being engaged by the flattened hooks.

8. A trunk appliance, including a trunk, garment hangers arranged within such trunk, and a retaining plate positioned outside of such garment hangers, certain of such garment hangers being provided with studs and the remainder being formed with openings to be engaged by such studs.

9. A trunk appliance, including a trunk, garment hangers arranged within such trunk, and a retaining plate positioned outside of such garment hangers, certain of such garment hangers being provided with studs and the remainder being formed with keyhole slots to be engaged by such studs.

10. A trunk appliance, including a trunk, garment hangers arranged within such trunk, a retaining plate positioned outside of such garment hangers, certain of such garment hangers being provided with studs and the remainder being formed with keyhole slots to be engaged by such studs, and a bolt and winged nut adapted to clamp certain of such hangers together.

11. An appliance, including clothes hangers, securing means associated with such clothes hangers, whereby the same may be combined to form parts of various articles of furniture extraneous of said appliance.

HELEN S. CARSON. 

